Posted in Slip & Fall on August 14, 2023
Slip and fall injuries can result in significant medical bills and intense physical pain and suffering for a victim. If a person sustains a slip and fall injury in a public area, such as a grocery store or park, they may be able to recover compensation for their losses. Here, we want to discuss the process of determining liability after a slip and fall incident in a public location as well as whether or not securing compensation is possible.
Who is Liable for a Slip and Fall in a Public Place?
If you think about all of the places you go during a month, the list can get reasonably extensive. Some places could include grocery stores, public parks, courthouses, banks, boutique stores, restaurants, schools, and more.
Property owners and property managers for all of these locations have specific duties that require them to maintain a safe environment for guests. This even includes private residence owners, who must take steps to ensure the safety of those who have an expected right to be on the premises.
Slip and fall incidents can occur in a wide variety of ways in public places, including spills of food or drink on the floor, loose carpets or matting, uneven walking surfaces, poorly lit areas, and obstacles and pedestrian pathways.
It may be possible to recover compensation for a slip and fall incident at a grocery store or a park, but only if it can be shown that the property owner was negligent through their actions or inaction.
When a slip and fall risk arises, property owners have a duty to promptly remedy the situation. In the event the slip and fall hazard cannot be repaired right away, property owners have a duty to warn guests of the known hazard.
Property owners can include businesses as well as government entities, particularly for areas such as public parks, courthouses, town halls, etc.
Types of Compensation Available
There may be various types of compensation available if a person is successful with their slip and fall claim against an at-fault party. This compensation can include coverage of economic and non-economic damages, such as:
- All medical bills associated with the incident
- Lost wages and loss of future earnings if a victim cannot work
- Coverage of household out-of-pocket expenses arising due to the incident
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering damages
- Loss of quality of life damages
The total amount of compensation paid to victims if their claim is successful will vary depending on various factors related to the particular case. These factors include the severity of the injury, whether or not there was any shared fault, insurance policy limitations, the length of the recovery time, and more.
We do want to point out that filing a claim against a private entity and a government entity are different processes. The personal injury statute of limitations for most situations is two years from the date an injury occurs, but filing a claim against a government entity will have different deadlines and different processes involved. If you or somebody you love has been injured in a slip and fall accident, we encourage you to reach out to an attorney who can walk you through the entire process. Your Long beach slip and fall lawyer will step in and investigate the incident and handle all communications with other parties.